Diabetes Canada

What is diabetes?

It is a metabolic disease caused by the inability to handle blood sugar and use it to have energy. Traditionally, diabetes is divided into two types depending on whether the body has enough insulin or no. If the body had no insulin it is called (insulin-dependent diabetes or IDD or Type I), while if the body has insulin but is not functioning i.e. unable to deal with sugars it is called insulin non-dependent or type II diabetes mellitus. Both types share the clinical manifestations of excess thirst, excess peeing or urination, high appetite, and weakness (fatigue). Patients with type I tend to be underweight and usually start to have the disease during their childhood. On the other hand, type II diabetes patients tend to be overweight and start their illness in their thirties or forties

What are the figures in Canada?

If we compare 2015 and the projected 2025 statistics, we can find that: the prevalence rate is 3.4 million cases in 2015 and this number is projected to 5 million in 2025 with an expected increase of 44% during the 10 years’ period.Source: diabetes Canada https://www.diabetes.ca/

Impact of diabetesUncontrolled diabetics tend to have shorter survival than normal people, they are three times more liable to be admitted to hospitals for cardiovascular diseases, and 12 times more prone to be admitted to hospitals for the end stage renal disease. About thirty percent of diabetics tend to be depressed or have been clinically diagnosed as depressed. foot ulcers affect 15% to 25% of diabetics. Moreover, 57% of Canadians don’t adhere to their prescribed treatment plans due to the high cost of medications.

Solution?

Medical treatment is needed for advanced diabetes using either oral medicines such as Glucophage (metformin) or Januvia or Janumet or injectables such as insulin. Ask your medical doctor for details of treatment and the proper doses and frequencies of administration. Hamilton diabetes services If you are living in Hamilton, there are many centres that help diabetes patients such as Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation http://www.hnhbhealthline.ca/displayService.aspx?id=182759And the Brantford General Hospital http://www.hnhbhealthline.ca/displayService.aspx?id=182735And the Bridge Community Health Centre Forte Erie http://www.hnhbhealthline.ca/displayService.aspx?id=182959https://www.bridgeschc.ca/ These centres help Hamilton Diabetes Patients in many ways such as: offering education programs for diabetics, dietary recommendations, medical consultations and sometimes measuring blood sugar levels.

Role of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic doctors can help to manage your diabetes by many ways such as advising you the best lifestyle and eating habits, giving you supplements and herbals that assist you in diabetes care such as Gymnema and Chromium Picolinate. Acupuncture can help in managing diabetic neuropathy and auricular seeds acupuncture can help to reduce the cravings for sugars and carbohydrates. Establishing a regular exercise and activity program is fundamental to diabetes control.